They’ve been on a recent hot streak, but the schedule is about to turn on the Ely Timberwolves.
Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Wolves are about to dive into the deep end of the pool - at least when it comes to area high school girls basketball.
Monday, the Wolves visit unbeaten Mt. Iron-Buhl, which not only is 16-0 but is the state’s top-ranked high school girls basketball team in Class A.
Three nights later comes a visit to Class AA Mesabi East, which has one of the area’s top players in NCAA Division II bound center Marta Forsline.
The trifecta is completed Feb. 9 with a home date against Chisholm, which handed the Wolves rather easily in a December matchup at Target Center.
Those contests are certain to test the Wolves, who have rebounded from a 1-4 start and put themselves in position to be in the top-eight in Section 7A, and have a home game, when the postseason begins at the end of the month.
The Wolves showed off good balance Monday, when four players scored in double digits in an 83-47 victory at Littlefork-Big Falls.
Ely continued to get stellar play out of junior Lydia Shultz, who not only led the team with 19 points but picked up eight rebounds, six assists and four steals on the evening.
Shultz and fellow junior Amelia Penke, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds to complete the double- double, did much of their damage in the opening half as Ely bolted out to a 46-25 lead by the break.
They combined for 27 points in the half and Ely had things on cruise control. Lillie O’Neill also helped fuel the offense with 16 points, while Ruby Lowe drained three three-point baskets on the way to 11 points.
Sophomore Kaylin Visser reached double figures with 10 points, and Gretta Lowe was next with seven.
Ely shot 37-for-78 from the floor a 47 percent clip and committed only six turnovers.
